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Texas Theatre

Coordinates: 32°44′36″N 96°49′33.5″W / 32.74333°N 96.825972°W / 32.74333; -96.825972
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Texas Theatre
The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas;
during renovations in March 2006
Map
Address231 West Jefferson Boulevard
Dallas, Texas
United States
OwnerOak Cliff Foundation
OperatorAviation Cinemas
Typemovie palace
Screens1
Current useCinema
Opened1931 (1931)
Website
www.thetexastheatre.com
Texas Theatre
Coordinates32°44′36″N 96°49′33.5″W / 32.74333°N 96.825972°W / 32.74333; -96.825972
ArchitectW. Scott Dunne[1]
NRHP reference No.03000187
RTHL No.17723
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 1, 2003
Designated RTHL2013

The Texas Theatre is a movie theater and Dallas Landmark located in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It gained historical significance on November 22, 1963 as the location of Lee Harvey Oswald's arrest for the Assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the killing of Dallas police officer J. D. Tippit. Today, it hosts a mix of repertory cinema and special events.

History

When first opened in 1931, the Texas Theatre was the largest suburban movie theater in Dallas and was part of a chain of theaters financed by Howard Hughes. It was the first theater in Dallas with air conditioning and featured many state-of-the-art luxuries.

On November 22, 1963, Warren "Butch" Burroughs, who ran the concession stand at the Texas Theater where Oswald was arrested, said that Oswald came into the theater between 1:00 and 1:07 pm; he also claimed he sold Oswald pop-corn at 1:15 p.m..[2][3] Julia Postal told the Warren Commission that Burroughs initially told her the same thing although he later denied this.http://history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh7/html/WC_Vol7_0011a.htm Theatre Patron, Jack Davis, also corroborated Burroughs' time, claiming he observed Oswald in the theatre prior to 1:20 pm.[4]The films presented that day were Cry of Battle and War Is Hell, which Oswald briefly viewed.

As a commemoration of the historic capture, the words "Lee Harvey Oswald, November 22, 1963" were later inscribed in gold paint on the chair Oswald (supposedly) occupied — three rows from the rear, five seats from the aisle. However, the actual chair was removed by then manager "Butch" Burroughs, who took it home and replaced it with another which the FBI confiscated the next day for evidence thinking it was the original Oswald seat.[5]

The theater closed in 1989 and the Texas Theatre Historical Society (TTHS) purchased it the following year. This allowed Oliver Stone to remodel the exterior façade for his 1991 film, JFK. However, by 1992, the Society was no longer able to fund the property and the theater closed again. Former usher and sign changer Don Dubois of Texas Rosewin-Midway Properties saved the theater from the wrecking ball in 1993, but two years later, it was nearly destroyed by a five-alarm fire, forcing another closure. In 1996, Pedro Villa stepped in to rescue the theater from another plan which would have demolished the structure and replaced it with a furniture warehouse. However, he was unable to obtain financing to restore the theater and it defaulted to Texas Rosewin-Midway Properties. The fire-damaged building remained vacant for three years, open to vandals, stray animals, and the elements.[1]

In 2001, the Oak Cliff Foundation acquired the structure and began renovations after receiving $1.6 million from the Dallas Neighborhood Renaissance Partnership. Since then, the board of the Oak Cliff Foundation has raised an additional $2 million of the estimated $9 million needed for the complete renovation of the theater.[6] The foundation used the funds to secure and restore the building needed after years of neglect and fire damage and the venue began hosting movies and special events soon after.[7]

In September 2010, Aviation Cinemas, Inc. (a reference to Howard Hughes, the theater's original owner), consisting of Partners Barak Epstein, Adam Donaghey, Jason Reimer, and Eric Steele, signed a lease to operate the theater as an independent and repertory cinema with hopes of presenting live theatre and concerts in the future.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "History of the Texas Theatre". Theatre Historical Society of America. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  2. ^ Douglass 2010, pp. 290, 466.
  3. ^ Turner, Nigel. The Men Who Killed Kennedy, Part 4, "The Patsy", 1991.
  4. ^ Marrs 1989, p. 353.
  5. ^ Selwyn-Holmes, Alex (22 November 2013). "Aisle 2, Row 3, Seat 5, Texas Theatre, 231 West Jefferson Boulevard, Dallas, Texas". Iconic Photos. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
  6. ^ "History". Oak Cliff Foundation. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  7. ^ Donaughey, Adam (6 September 2010). "Historic Texas Theatre — New Lease on Life". Theatre Historical Society of America. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  8. ^ Appleton, Roy (3 September 2010). "Dallas-Fort Worth filmmakers to take Texas Theatre in new direction". Dallas Morning News. dallasnews.com. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
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